Ruby's Great Pokédex Adventure
by OCfan11
Summary: Ruby Rose disappears from Remnant at five years old. Nowadays she's wrangling legendary Pokémon into Poké Balls because she's going to fill the stupid Pokédex if it's the last thing she ever does. (And maybe she'll happen to save the world along the way.)
1. Entry 001: Bulbasaur

Entry #001: Bulbasaur

The ten-year-old smiles and shifts her bag firmer on her shoulders, disembarking with the rest of the passengers. The salt is heavy in the air though it's strangely quiet. Well, the _people_ mutter and talk amongst each other. The _Pokémon_ are nowhere around.

"Kanto sure is different," Ruby Rose mutters as she looks to the clear skies.

"Your first time here?"

The redhead starts and whirls to face an older woman. The older lady cackles at Ruby's frazzled expression and slows to walk beside her, cane clacking.

"No, er- yes," Ruby nods and hugs her backpack straps closer. "I live in Johto, but I remember being here for a few days when I was little." When she appeared in this world. When they searched for family for the little girl who appeared out of nowhere.

Ruby would have been a huntress if she could. No Grimm in this world, though. So now she's doing the next best thing.

"I'm Ruby," she remembers to introduce herself. "Ruby Rose!"

"Agatha," the yellow-white haired woman stretches out a hand to shake. "Do you need help finding your way?"

"Nope! I'm looking for the Gym."

"Oh," a glint in the woman's eyes, "well, I wish you luck then, Ruby."

It's only after they've parted ways does Ruby realize the old woman thinks she's taking on the Gym challenge. "Oh gees… I hope she doesn't look for my name or anything…"

"Hey! Ruby!" a man with blond hair, blue eyes, and dressed in tactical plastic gear waves as she easily leaps over the trees around his Gym. Also a man from another world, Lt. Surge is one of the few Kantonians she knows. "Long time no see, kid!"

"Hi sir!" Ruby cheekily salutes and speeds over to him in a burst of rose petals. He grumbles and swings her around in a hug. "Grunt Ruby reporting for duty."

"That you are," he sets her down with an appraising look. "You ready for this, kid?"

"Sir yes sir!"

"I don't know," he teases, ruffling her hair. She cries out and, while busy fixing it, misses his concerned frown. "You could always hold off for another couple of years. Or maybe talk to that professor of your region into getting a Pokédex."

"No way," Ruby shakes her head and stands tall and proud, smile determined. "Professor Oak's letting me begin here, and I'm not backing out on him now!"

Surge sighs. "Well, phone me if you get into any trouble." Like Team Rocket, who's blocking the routes to and from towns. He's been putting off dealing with them, with putting a target on his back, but if Ruby ends up confronting them then he'll bail her out. Maybe it will finally get the other Gym Leaders' butts in gear to deal with the issue. "Pidgeot will fly you to the professor's place. Be safe, kid."

"Of course!"

;;;

Ruby jumps off Pidgeot before the Pokémon begins to descend. It squawks in disbelief while she laughs and positions to land, aura flowing with ease to take the hit. "Look out below!"

There's no one there, but the sleepy area of Pallet Town – _Shades of your journey await!_ – all hear the _boom_ of her crash to ground. Ruby cheers at the stuck landing. Pidgeot circles a few times, makes sure she's fine, and then heads back to Vermilion City. The ten year old girl merrily skips through town and to the largest building, ignoring the women peeking out from the houses to check the small crater she made.

"Ah," a raspy, slow voice says with a grin when Ruby pokes her head in, "there she is. Hello, Ms. Rose. Glad you could join us."

"Hi Professor Oak!" Ruby perks up and slips in. She falters slightly at the stares of the two boys by the whiting professor. "Sorry I'm late."

"It's no matter," the Pokémon Professor says, only to be interrupted by the kid not wearing a hat.

"Can we finally choose a Pokémon now, gramps," he whines, eyeing the table with three Poké Balls greedily.

"Ah, yes of course," the professor recovers with a knowing smile. "Red, why don't you choose first?"

"Ugh," the no-hat kid whines but doesn't move as hat kid moves over to the table. He brings the visor down over his eyes, almost like a habit.

Ruby takes this time to slide up to no-hat. "Hello! I'm Ruby Rose!"

"Blue Oak," he snaps, eyeing her up and down with indifference. "That's Red. He doesn't talk much."

"That's okay," Ruby laughs uncertainly, waving over at the boy who glances sneakily when his name is called. He ducks his head back towards the balls. "I can talk enough for the both of us!" If one ignores she is an introvert who enjoys her quiet time. At least she isn't planning on doing the Gym challenge. Then she'd _have_ to talk to people.

"Charmander," Professor Oak nods encouragingly when Red walks over with the Poké Ball. "A good choice, but will need lots of patience to raise it. Now-"

"My turn!" Blue strides over and swipes a ball with nary a glance. Ruby shifts a nervous, uncertain smile over to Red when he steps beside her. She doesn't want to interrupt, but it's really uncomfortable when Blue smirks and leans into the other boy's space. "Squirtle. So, are we going to battle or what?"

"Um," Ruby hesitantly raises a hand. "I mean, can I get mine before you all… and they're gone…"

"Don't worry," Professor Oak laughs and ignores the battle starting in the middle of his laboratory. "I was an eager young Trainer back in my day. Come here, Ms. Rose. Your Pokémon will be Bulbasaur."

"Sweet!" She chooses to ignore the battle as well and takes the ball with revelry. "Hi there, Bulbasaur! My name is Ruby Rose!"

The professor smiles and lets her have her moment before waving her over to another table. They ignore the growling and move-calls as they go over the equipment. Professor Oak hands her a red and black object. "This will be your Pokédex. At the moment it's only set to record Pokémon commonly found in the Kanto region, so for others you'll need to write up a report yourself. Do you have enough paper?"

"Yes sir," Ruby clicks her first Pokémon on her belt and points to her backpack. "Got everything I'll need in here. Should I use your mailing address?"

"Yes, that's probably a good idea. Only send mail in Pokémon Centers, it doesn't cost anything that way. Here's a list of uncommon Pokémon, such as the starters I give out. It's unlikely you'll find any while journeying, so if I come across any or have a surplus I'll let you know. If you find any of these Pokémon, contact me as soon as possible."

"Got it." Ruby is then handed a case. This confuses her greatly. "Um, professor? Isn't this a Gym badge carrier?"

"Yes, it is."

"Why are you giving it to me?"

"Because you'll need to collect the badges as you go around Kanto," he says easily, calmly smiling as her expression breaks into one of horror. "They'll help you if you ever trade for high-level Pokémon or need to use HMs." Blue shouts about his loss, Ruby's soul leaves her body, and the professor keeps on smiling. "And it will be good experience for all of you. A nice, healthy rivalry. I look forward to seeing if any of you can become Champion."

Her soul returns with a hard _thunk_ , like the sound of Blue storming out with a passing, "Smell you later!"

"Oh," Ruby squeaks. Inwardly she swears enough to make her old uncle Qrow proud.

"Ah, Red," the professor cheerfully waves the boy back over. "Would you mind showing Ms. Rose to the tall grass?"

The boy nods, eyes still hidden under his hat.

"Thanks," Ruby tells him, quickly hurrying to catch up. "So, um, congrats on the win?" He nods. "Are you planning on taking the Gym challenge?" Another nod. "Okay, so can I ask you for help?"

He stumbles a bit before peeking over at her.

"Professor Oak just sprung it on me that I'll have to do it as well as research," Ruby admits as they stop near some tall grass. At the inquiring look she smiles. "Oh, I'm doing research about the Pokémon in the region. I want to go on all sorts of adventures and see all sorts of things," fight all sorts of Pokémon, "so I thought field researcher would be the way to go. Once I get strong enough and collect at least half the information on a Pokédex, then I can start going off the routes."

He stares a bit before shrugging and motioning to the route ahead.

"Thanks for bringing me," she holds out a hand. He hesitantly shakes. "I'm going to properly meet Bulbasaur before I go on."

He smiles and pulls the rim of his hat further down in a nod. Without pause he walks into the tall grass… and runs into a Pidgey.

"Good luck, Red!" Ruby shouts. Then gets on her knees and lets out her Pokémon. "Hi, Bulbasaur. I'm Ruby!"

"Saur," he draws out and releases a vine from beside his bulb.

Ruby coos and shakes it. "That's so neat. How many can you make? Do they grow leaves or is that when you evolve? Do you normally absorb sunlight from the vines, your bulb, or does your whole body take in nutrients? Oh! And what's the amount of water you need per day? Or does it depend on the moisture in the air and how active you are?"

Bulbasaur sweatdrops as she rambles on.

* * *

 **Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY or Pokémon. All rights belong to their respective owners.**

 **A/N: Who better than Ruby to try and complete the Pokédex? Thanks for reading**


	2. Entry 019: Rattata

Entry #019: Rattata

Bulbasaur is amazingly patient, but that may be because Ruby learns quickly just where to scratch behind the 'ears'. His whole body is a plant, meaning his tough-yet-pliable horns work as ears and sensors.

It's all so different from the Chikorita biology they learn in Johto.

"I've got all the Poké Balls I need to catch some weaker Pokémon," Ruby tells her partner Pokémon. Bulbasaur trots diligently at her side. "I don't want you to get into any fights until a nurse can look you over." He wilts, lip wobbling. "Not that you won't get to battle! Um, don't worry! We have to battle Gym Leaders, so I'll make sure to get you some training! Just- just don't cry! We've got to watch Pokémon in the wild! It's my job as a budding researcher!"

He sighs, stiffening to give her a look. Ruby squeaks and panics realizing she made a _pun_.

"I'm ashamed in myself," she tells him, head hanging.

"Bulba," _you should be_.

Chuffing chitters echo. Both Trainer and Pokémon jump back, wildly looking around for the noise. "Who's there?!"

Out of the tall grass stalks three purple _rats_.

"A herd?" Ruby cries, feet unconsciously moving into ready position as she panics. "Kanto isn't supposed to have herds! Bulbasaur, stay back!"

He stops his march forward to glance incredulously.

"I mean it! I can handle this, just stand back and watch."

He hesitates, baring his teeth at whatever the Rattata chitter about.

"I'll return you if you don't!"

Not wanting to leave her defenceless, Bulbasaur lopes behind his trainer. The rats-like Pokémon chitter some more, grinning evilly. The lead one makes biting motions, the others chuckling behind it.

"I'm not afraid of you!" Ruby was born in a world of Grimm, and grew up in Ecruteak City. A couple rats are nothing. Bulbasaur blinks as, for a second, it seemed like his trainer glowed white. "Either get out of our way or get moved."

The Rattata lose their cheer. Angry, the lead rat leaps for an attack-

-and gets kicked up to the sky.

"…Well?" Ruby pauses because the followers are frozen. "Anyone else want to try?"

By their running away, it's a hard _no_.

"Ugh," Ruby drops her head, pouting. Bulbasaur is still blinking at the dot in the atmosphere, which seems to be coming back down. The frightened squealing cues the girl in. "Oh, better get that."

Ruby leaps up like it's no big deal. Bulbasaur coughs at the dust cloud, not even questioning how the landing doesn't kill the Rattata or his trainer. This human is much sturdier than the ones he grew up with.

"There," Ruby chirps, kneeling to set the crying rat on the ground. "See, you're safe now! Uh, you can let go. Please. Please let go?"

It shakes its head and cries harder, clutching further at her chest. It keeps squeaking it's sorry, and Bulbasaur looks around at the very empty grass around them. Apparently no one wants to face the strong human. Neat.

Meanwhile Ruby is trying to console the hysterical Pokémon. "Better luck next time? I mean, attacking people is rude, but one day you'll get super powerful! You can get so strong, maybe you'll even defeat an… uh, a dragon! Yah!"

It sniffs pathetically and whimpers with big, pleading eyes.

Bulbasaur rolls his.

"Hey, do you want to come with us?"

Bulbasaur looks at his trainer.

The Rattata nods pitifully.

"Alright then!" Ruby smiles and takes out a Poké Ball from her subspace pocket. "I'm not planning on becoming the best or strongest or anything… but I can promise you'll be taken care of! I'm doing research for the professors, and when you're not training with me they'll be sure to look after you!"

The Rattata's quick breathing settles a bit and it nods, eyes gleaming with unshed tears.

Bulbasaur wonders if he's only going to be an emotional support Pokémon since his trainer can obviously beat others into submission.

"Alright!" With a wide smile, Ruby taps the ball on the Rattata's head. With a quick red light and a _click_ , it – she – is caught. Ruby clicks the ball on her belt, pulling open the Pokédex to look through the new information. "Bulbasaur, come over here! I wonder if female Rattatas are commonly in charge of mischiefs, or if she had a special lead. Oh, and do you think we can catch a Pidgey soon? I have an idea of what they eat – maybe after Rattata's trained up we can get her to agree to be bait – but I haven't seen any flying types in a while, have you?"

"Bulbasaur." _It's because they're scared of you._

"…Well, I'm sure someone will come out. Until then, let's sneak around- oh wait! You and Rattata need to be seen by a nurse. We should hurry there, and then come back and sneak around to take notes on Route 1."

Bulbasaur nods diligently. "Bulbasaur." _I'll make sure to do you proud in the upcoming battles, you take care of the wildlife._

"Alright, partner!" Ruby cheers, jumping to her feet and throwing a fist in the air. "We can do this! Onwards to victory!"

"Bulbasaur!"

;;;

A tap on her shoulder draws Ruby away from the book on Kanto Gym rules. She blinks, and then smiles and pats the empty couch seat beside her. "Hi, Red! How's it going?"

The shy boy smiles and nods, tipping his hat down in the same motion. His Charmander and Pidgey bounce away to the other Pokémon Center's couch, where Ruby's Pokémon are eating.

"So cool you've got a Pidgey," Ruby turns sheepish, thinking back to the past hours of watching nests and taking notes about habitats. She _may_ have scared off a local flock after upper cutting a hostile Pidgeot. It was aiming for Bulbasaur, so she won't be guilty about it. "Did you hear about this Gym being closed?"

Red nods, huffing despondently.

"I know," Ruby nods. "I mean, I wasn't looking forward to a Gym battle, but it was _so_ disappointing to find out it wouldn't be fixed for at least a month. At least everyone is okay. I wonder what caused the explosion."

Red shrugs.

"Yah, it probably doesn't matter." Their Pokémon come back, Rattata immediately curling up in her lab while Charmander hops into Red's. "Aw, you guys are so cute. Do you need any food? I've got extra money from fighting a couple trainers on the way here, so I can buy you some _just this once_."

Red smiles and shakes his head, meeting her gaze for a few moments. His eyes are such a dark brown they almost look black. They're too serious for someone who's embarking on an epic quest to- what is he planning to do anyway?

"Hey, Red?" Ruby gently nudges him. "Are you planning to challenge the Elite Four?"

He nods swiftly, grinning down at his cheering Pokémon.

"Well, best of luck," Ruby brightens her smile at him. "I'll be cheering you on, so make sure you invite me to watch when you make it!"

He meets her gaze once again, holding out a hand. They shake.

 _Deal._

;;;

"Hi mum," Ruby smiles awkwardly into the camera.

"Ruby!" her mother cheers from her place in Ecruteak City's Pokémon Center. "I'm so sorry it took this long to respond. How have you been? Did you have a safe ride over? Oh, is that your Pokémon?"

"That's okay, I've been fine, yes, and yes! This is Bulbasaur, and this is Rattata. Guy and gal, this is my mother, Tamao."

"Bulba!"

"Ratta!"

"A pleasure to meet you!" Tamao smiles brightly, and the Pokémon are dazed by the split second of sparkles around the dark-haired woman. "I hope my daughter's protecting you well."

"Muuum," Ruby whines, blushing. "Hey, where's Un- uh, Norman?"

"Oh, busy," Tamao giggles with a silly grin. "If you're worried about him flying over to watch over you, don't be. I'm keeping him _very_ busy over here."

"Ew," Ruby waves her hands, putting them in front of the camera. "You two are made for each other; _I didn't want to know_."

"What?" her mother laughs. "I just have him doing errands for the tea house. It keeps him from fretting about you."

"Stop being weird," Ruby pouts, dropping her hands. "Oh, and I've got to tell you something, but you have to _promise_ not to let him know."

"What is it?" her mother raises her eyebrows.

A pause. Ruby drops her head. "I'm doing the Gym challenge."

" _Oh, my baby, I'm so proud of you!"_

Just what Ruby was afraid of. There's no getting out of it now. The rest of the Pokémon Center watches the free show that is Ruby's life.

"Oh, but of course we can't tell Norman," her mother agrees at the end of her long, loud, _eager_ praising. "He'd fly over there in a heartbeat and scare those poor Gym Leaders into giving you badges. That's no fun."

Both of Ruby's Pokémon nod. The Trainer groans. "Thanks for the help, mum."

"Remember to call me next week," Tamao waves. "I love you, and you too, dears."

Ruby's Pokémon perk up and wave their goodbyes. Ruby smiles softly and tells her, "I love you too."

She misses home in a way she hasn't in years. As she signs off, Ruby looks to her Pokémon. Just like last time, she doesn't have to adjust alone. "Well, welcome to the family."

There's a certain kind of awe in their gazes. Ruby gets down on her knees and makes sure to hug them and show how much she means it.

Bulbasaur wraps his wines around her waist.

Rattata digs her claws into her shirt.

And the Pokémon Center watches on with a silent ' _Aww_.'

* * *

 **A/N: Thanks for reading! A really big thank-you to everyone who reviewed (Guest, Roxses7299, Fire4Heaven, RandomShtScinceWhenever, RexCaldoran, and Spartastic 4)! The support truly means a lot.**

 **Have a fantastic day**


	3. Entry 016: Pidgey

Entry #016: Pidgey

The goal of a researcher is to spend hours to days (to months to _years_ ) studying their area of focus. Ruby kept her time on Route 1 down to half a day because Professor Oak lives right beside it. If he or his assistants can't keep track of the Pokémon neighboring the town, then why even bother studying Pokémon?

Route 2 has bug types crawling around it. While Bulbasaur and Rattata tussle around her – and while they discourage wild Pokémon from coming near – Ruby keeps tally of Pokémon sightings.

So far there's been fifty-eight Pidgey, less than twenty Rattata, and barely a dozen of the other route's natives. Unless the search is taken off the route, there can only be hypotheses about overpopulation of Pidgey or Pokémon scared of humans.

"Another Pidgey," Ruby groans and marks her sheet. Rattata jumps on her lap while Bulbasaur makes friends with the few brave Bellsprout. "There's a saying that you reach a point in your life where you only see shiny Pokémon. I've never seen _one_."

There's a little tap by her hands. Ruby glances over, and a quirky Pidgey cheeps with a dopy 'grin'.

"Hi there," Ruby coos, slowly moving to rub its head. "What brings you- _Bulbasaur_ , don't attack."

He grumbles but retracts his vines.

"Thank you." She turns back to the preening flying type Pokémon. "I don't have any food, if that's what you want."

It settles against her, tucking its head against her leg.

"Well, okay," Ruby drawls and marks down the sighting on her notes. "It's not like we're going anywhere any time soon."

Bulbasaur turns away with rolling eyes. He's not sure why he was even worried. He convinces Rattata to come off her break and double team more wild Pokémon with him.

Ruby sighs when the mark hits two hundred Pidgey sightings. A few light pets to the bird beside her, and then she's stretching her legs. "Alright, guys. Time to head back to the Pokémon Center. You two looked like you were having fun! Did you make any friends?"

Rattata huffs. Bulbasaur glances at the Oddish limping away and just smiles at his Trainer.

"Cheep."

Ruby looks down, where the Pidgey is rubbing against her leg. "Cheep."

It's not a normal sound Pidgeys makes. She's a bit worried. "Would you like to come with us? I'm taking the Gym Challenge, so you may need to battle…"

It is nodding before the question finishes. Ruby can't stop her excitement as she taps a Poké Ball on it. A critical success.

"Let's… head back to the Pokémon Center," Ruby says again, releasing the Pidgey. Her team looks at their member, becoming hesitant at whatever he says. "Ah, come on, Pidgey. I can carry you."

The dazed Pidgey chirps again when she picks it up.

"Yah, let's go."

"Nothing's wrong," the nurse assures Ruby. "He's actually big for his age. Pidgey's don't begin swacking until they're a few months old. I'm surprised the nest caretaker didn't come to get him." No one notices Bulbasaur's and Rattata's guilty looks. "But he's imprinted on you, so that's good. He'll need softer food for another few weeks, and I recommend no battling until he's able to chew harder foods."

"Thank you, nurse!" Ruby writes down the last of her notes. She's lived in a popular area of Pidgeys and never learned any of this. It's a bit frightening to hear he's imprinted, but being a Trainer means she's at least accepted being a primary caretaker. That he's imprinted on her means his flock won't forcibly try to take him back. Once outside, she grimaces. "Sorry, guys. I'm only supposed to have one of you out at most. I'll let you all out in our room tonight, but…"

Bulbasaur keeps at her side as they walk the edges of the small town. The only things interesting about Viridian City are its Gym and how close it is to the Elite Four. Trainers likely flock through here, though it's strangely quiet now.

"I wonder what happened here," Ruby mutters, looking at the freshly redone wall of the Gym's back. "My mother almost held me back from coming to Kanto when she heard about the explosion. Apparently, it was big news for weeks."

"Bulba," he didn't hear it when it happened, but the professor aides were running around like crazy. Every Pokémon in the routes around felt the unease from the amount of power in the air.

"Hey," Ruby whispers, aura tingling for a second. "What's that over there?"

It's a way past the town boundary, and she only got a glimpse because the wind blew hard enough, just for a second, to let the pearly pink shine through. Bulbasaur is a sweetheart, bounding ahead and lifting the branch she points to.

"An egg," Ruby softly exclaims, already pulling out the egg-carrying supplies all Trainers are equipped with. "Can you hold that a bit longer?"

"Bulba," he is barely breaking a sweat.

There are scuffs on the egg, which is almost more worrying than why it's under debris. Ruby and Bulbasaur rush back to the Pokémon Center where a very surprised Nurse Joy greets them.

"Where did you find this?" she asks as she checks over condition.

Ruby – a terrible liar – pauses before explaining, technically, "Off of Route 2."

She takes the scolding about going off-route, nodding along and swearing not to do it again. The nurse declares the egg healthy, and that she will be keeping it overnight for observation if Ruby wants to get it in the morning.

"It will be a lot of responsibility," the nurse warns. The egg isn't hard to look after, but if it hatches soon she'll have two young Pokémon to look after.

"I can handle this." Ruby really hopes she can. This is what a journey is supposed to be about, growing as a person. This, however, isn't a normal beginning.

"Bulba," _you can handle this_.

Ruby smiles. "Thanks, Bulbasaur. Would you mind helping me tell the others tonight?"

"Bulbasaur." _Not at all._

Ruby sighs and leans back on the Pokémon Center couch. She hasn't expected a lot of this journey so far.

It's really about time to start for next town. Pewter City.

A Gym Challenge town.

* * *

 **A/N: Thanks for reading!** **A really big thank-you to everyone who reviewed (MacrotheAcro, markaren, kfawcett1998, FFReader123, and Spartastic 4)! The support really means a lot.**

 **I hope everyone has an awesome day. Thank you again for reading**


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